The skin is the largest organ in the human, or animal, body. It acts as a protective barrier that isolates the body from the surrounding medium, protecting it and contributing to preserve its structures intact, whilst acting as a communication system with the environment. The skin has three layers: the epidermis, which is the most superficial layer, the dermis, which is the intermediate layer, and the hypodermis or subcutaneous tissue, which is the deepest layer of the skin.
Since it is the outermost organ, the skin is subjected to significant deterioration and aggression, which leads to premature ageing of the skin. The external factors that act thereon include excess solar radiation, atmospheric contamination, abusive use of surfactants, tobacco smoke, etc. But the skin may also suffer from premature ageing as a result of internal or endogenous factors, such as those related to an unbalanced nutrition in terms of vitamins, iatrogenic factors such as radiotherapy, the intake of drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, immunosuppressants, etc., or the presence in the body of very reactive toxins such as those ingested by drug addicts, alcoholics, etc. Natural ageing also occurs as a consequence, for example, of the production of free radicals in the mitochondria, DNA alterations, etc.
Deterioration of the skin appears in the form of wrinkles, spots, laxity, benign neoplasms, etc.
Numerous cosmetic or pharmaceutical compositions have been disclosed for treatment of the skin, and the care and cleaning thereof, composed of very different ingredients, which include plant extracts and animal extracts. In this regard, one of the ingredients used in the preparation of skin care cosmetics have been gastropod secretions, what is commonly referred to as snail slime. Thus, for example, document DE1813154 discloses a composition designed for skin care that contains a fat and one or more active agents, which contains the slippery lubricating secretion excreted by a snail, particularly Helix pomatia. Patent FR2595247 discloses that extracts from the mucous membranes or digestive juices of gastropods are useful in cosmetics at concentrations ranging between 0.1%-10% due to their moisturising action on the epidermal surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,740 discloses an active ingredient for cosmetic or therapeutic compositions obtained from the secretion of a centrifuged live gastropod, and said compositions may be applied to skin care.
On the other hand, document CA2611645 discloses the use of a Helix aspersa “snail slime” product to stimulate the proliferation of stem cells in vitro.
A stem cell is a cell that has the capacity to renew itself by means of mitotic divisions or to continue the differentiation pathway for which it is programmed. Moreover, it is capable of producing cells of one or more mature, functional, fully differentiated tissues, as a function of its degree of multipotentiality. Most of the tissues of an adult individual have their own specific population of stem cells which allow for their periodical renewal or their regeneration when tissue damage occurs. In particular, the epidermis undergoes constant renewal and consists of a stratified squamous epithelium associated with pilose follicles and sebaceous glands. These specialised structures are maintained by the self-renewal of epidermal stem cells and the differentiation of the offspring thereof. Skin stem cells are crucial for the healing of wounds and the regeneration of the skin and the hair. However, the capacity of stem cells may be diminished due to genetic problems, environmental influences and the ageing process. Therefore, the protection of stem cells is extremely important.
Although snail secretions are known to be useful for the preparation of skin cosmetics, thus far no product derived from snail spawn has been disclosed for the preparation of dermatological, cosmetic or cosmeceutical compositions that has a proven action on skin stem cells, activating and mobilising them, thereby preventing the loss thereof and, consequently, preventing and correcting ageing of the skin.
In this regard, the present invention discloses a product obtained from gastropod spawn for the preparation of cosmetic or cosmeceutical compositions which has been shown to have very beneficial effects on the skin, preventing and correcting the ageing thereof by acting directly on epithelial stem cells.